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LETTER: Armor piercing controversy

A controversy arose recently about whether 5.56 mm, SS109 and M855 “green tip” ammunition was armor piercing and would be banned.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ prior guides listed prohibited armor piercing ammunition and exemptions. However, its’s latest reference guide, released in January, excluded the exemptions, prompting gun lobbies to fear a de facto ban had been put in place on the “green tip” varieties. But ATF re-released 2014’s firearms regulations reference guide last week, saying it corrected omissions and editing errors and did not intend to revoke exemptions.

To begin with, this particular 5.56 mm round is not armor piercing. It is classified as ball ammunition. True armor piercing ammunition is black tip, as classified by the National Institute of Justice as being capable of piercing body armor.

Another aspect of this controversy that has not been discussed is the body armor, or bullet proof vests, the police wear. There are different levels of vests, as categorized by the NIJ. These threat levels range from Threat Level I to III. There is also a Level IV which is designated to be used against true armor piercing rounds.

Most police departments have their officers wear the Level IIIA vests because of the added safety it provides. Most vests have a ceramic plate in the front, which is inserted and provides a degree of added protection against a round hitting the heart. Once a ceramic plate has been hit with a round, it usually breaks apart and is no longer protective if another round hits it. And there are vital body areas where a vest does not offer protection. This is why there is no vest that offers 100 percent protection.